Episode 170
“Really, just two of you? Is this how the eldest son of a duke’s family travels?”
“With the Seven Swords of the Continent by our side, there’s nothing to worry about. Besides…”
“Besides what?”
“Never mind.”
Dale shook his head at Master Baro’s question.
Strictly speaking, there weren’t just two of them.
Two men rode across the empire’s lands on horseback, without any guards or attendants to accompany them.
They were heading from the northern duchy of Saxon to the far eastern deserts of the empire.
“I’ve informed my father, and I’ll return to the Saxon duchy before anyone outside knows I’m gone.”
“Well, plans always sound good on paper, don’t they?” Master Baro chuckled.
“Even those who ended up with a one-way ticket to the afterlife courtesy of my sword had their own grand plans before they lost their heads.”
Dale shook his head in disbelief as they rode.
“So, do you have a way to contact the mountain assassins?”
“We’re meeting someone who can connect us with them.”
“A human?”
“Who knows.”
“Hmm, gives me the creeps.”
“Do you know something about them?”
“They’re like our fanatics.”
He was likely referring to the Shadow Court.
“An elven assassination group that believes they’re carrying out divine orders. It’s funny for me to say this, but they’re mostly lunatics who don’t listen to reason.”
“You seem to know a lot about them.”
“Oh, didn’t I mention?”
Master Baro replied nonchalantly to Dale’s question.
“My old master was from their neck of the woods.”
Dale swallowed hard at the casual revelation.
“What did you just say?”
Dale asked incredulously, and Master Baro responded as if it were obvious.
“Isn’t that why you brought me along?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Hmm, well, damn.”
“What’s the problem?”
“I’m not sure your master would be too fond of my face.”
“Did you have a falling out with the dark elves?”
“Well, it depends on how you look at it…”
Master Baro trailed off, lost in thought.
“Suddenly, I feel like going back to the duchy.”
“Too late for that now.”
In more ways than one, it was already too late.
Not much is known about elven society. They inhabit the icy lands of the south, the scorching deserts of the far east, and the vast forests where the Green Mage Tower stands. None of these places are particularly hospitable to humans, so even the empire doesn’t covet their lands.
They are an extremely insular and closed society, valuing strict rules and order.
That’s about all Dale knew.
In contrast, Sepia was open-minded and progressive, unlike most elves. What seemed trivial to outsiders was likely a forbidden taboo in elven society.
He hadn’t come all this way expecting to see Sepia.
She probably didn’t even know Dale was repaying his debt to her. It was simply his way of settling what he owed her, nothing more, nothing less.
It was something he had resolved to do ever since he broke her enchantment. Nothing had changed.
In a free city in the eastern part of the empire, where they had arranged to meet the Sorceress Council.
After a week and a few days of rough travel, Dale and Baro arrived just as dusk was settling in.
“Let’s meet here tomorrow morning.”
“Sure, I don’t need to stick to you like glue day and night, do I?”
“No need to cling to me here.”
“Ha, being the eldest son of the Saxon family isn’t for just anyone.”
Dale booked two rooms on the second floor of a tavern and moved on. Master Baro remained on the first floor, lounging with his legs up and gulping down beer.
The second floor room was as shabby as they come.
It was barely a room, with straw scattered on the floor instead of a bed.
“Orelia.”
In the empty room, Dale murmured softly.
At the same time, the shadows at his feet began to shift, forming the silhouette of a person.
As always, it was Lady Shadow, the one who supported the “Black Prince” of the Saxon family.
“You called?”
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
“Food…”
Orelia smiled wryly.
“When I’m in your shadow, I can forget many things about the world.”
By making a special pact with Shub, she could reside within his shadow.
By existing in the shadow cast by the Mother of Darkness, she was free from the many limitations of a human body.
Just like Dale, who had been reborn with a body of shadow.
“Just as your body is now.”
Dale swallowed hard at Orelia’s words.
“Even the past when I fought for the old Bratina Kingdom under the goddess’s guidance feels like a distant dream now.”
”…”
“Without needing to think or suffer, I can feel myself drifting away from being human.”
Orelia, Lady Shadow, spoke with a bitter smile.
“It feels like my entire existence is just to be a sword in your shadow, wielded for your sake.”
“Is that what you want, Orelia?”
Dale asked again about drifting away from humanity, and Orelia replied coldly.
“Because you wish for the empire’s downfall.”
Her resolve was unmistakable.
“From within your shadow, I can sense and understand many things about you. I know how much effort you’re putting into bringing down the empire.”
Dale remained silent.
“My role is to observe that and wield my sword to ensure your will is fulfilled.”
The watcher in the shadows spoke.
“For that, I will gladly become a puppet dancing in your shadow.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Dale said, and Orelia smiled silently.
Meanwhile…
“Hey, who the hell is this punk? Doesn’t even recognize the boss’s face…”
As Dale and Orelia conversed in their room, a commotion erupted on the tavern’s first floor.
Every city has its share of troublemakers, and the tavern, being a central hub, was no exception.
From small-time thugs causing chaos to organized gangs profiting from the city’s underbelly.
But Master Baro wasn’t one to bow to such rabble.
“Well, aren’t you a bunch of sorry bastards.”
He cursed nonchalantly at the group brandishing axes at their waists.
“What’s so great about you that you have to pick a fight with a man enjoying his drink?”
The faces of the tavern patrons turned pale, and one of the thugs laughed mockingly.
“This guy doesn’t seem to know how things work in this city.”
As he spoke, he reached for the axe at his waist to make a show of force.
“Huh?”
But he couldn’t feel the axe handle. In fact, he couldn’t feel his arm at all.
Splat!
The blood gushing out told the story of what had happened.
“Do you think I came all this way just to watch you show off your strength? Huh?”
Master Baro continued to sip his beer, legs still propped up on the table.
Splat!
Another thug’s body was marked with a line of blood.
“Aaagh!”
With each cut, an arm or leg was severed, and screams echoed throughout the tavern.
“I may not know how to live in this city, but I sure know how to survive in this country.”
Master Baro said, sipping his beer amidst the chaos.
As the remaining thugs tried to flee, he called out to them.
“Where do you think you’re going after starting all this trouble?”
Something struck the ground at their feet, pinning them in place.
It was a throwing knife.
As if to say they wouldn’t be allowed to escape, the knife had pierced their feet, anchoring them to the spot.
Master Baro turned his head, leaving the screams behind.
“Oh, dear.”
The eldest son of the duke’s family he served stood there.
“What are you doing here?”
“Sorry about this.”
Master Baro scratched his head sheepishly.
“I can’t just walk past idiots without doing something.”
Dale turned his head to see the thugs, now a bloody mess, begging for their lives.
“We were supposed to meet someone here, but drawing this much attention…”
Just then.
“There is someone.”
Before Dale could finish, a mysterious figure in a robe appeared at the tavern entrance.
“I didn’t expect you to summon me in such a manner.”
A clear, feminine voice spoke, and Dale looked up.
“Such a crude, rude, and noisy way to do it.”
The woman finally removed her hood. Her hair, the color of crystal, cascaded down, revealing her pointed ears.
“I imagined the ‘Black Prince’ would summon me in a more elegant and refined manner.”
Dale momentarily held his breath.
It was a Snow Elf. But not Sephia.
“I am Erze, sorceress of the Blue Tower.”
“Ha! Who said you were invited? That’s quite the princess syndrome you’ve got there.”
Master Baro burst into hearty laughter at the sight, leaving Erze momentarily flustered, blinking in surprise.
After a brief pause, a chilling blue aura began to swirl around them.
“No, you’ve come to the right place, Lady Erze.”
Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Dale quickly interjected.
“This person will lead us to the ‘Assassin of the Mountain’ as promised.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
Master Baro, taken aback, hastily finished his beer.
“My apologies for not recognizing you, Miss Elf.”
”…I planned to visit in the morning, but circumstances led me here tonight.”
Dale, looking slightly awkward, glanced around the room.
“Drawing attention won’t do us any good. Shall we move now?”
At his suggestion, Erze silently nodded, leaving behind the tavern, now shrouded in a metaphorical sea of blood.
In many ways, their first encounter had gone awry from the very start.